The Earth Pony Way (Closed: Applejack)

[SteelEagle]

She'd probably try to talk around the issue sometimes, but Twilight in this instance was more of a straight shooter. Applejack wasn't as dim as she let on sometimes. Whether that was her bluntness masking her intelligence unintentionally or tradition bound ponies being suspicious of the possibility of change playing a part, Applejack was so much smarter than most ponies gave her credit for. It tended to be a case where she showed her abilities and intelligence through action rather than long-winded speeches or proclamations, success being the greatest indicator of her capability rather than a page of a test. It was one reason why they worked so well together, as Applejack was better at putting Twilight's plans into motion while Twilight was able to theorize things that Applejack wouldn't or couldn't imagine. Twilight had big plans for Sweet Apple Acres if only Applejack would listen just a little more.

"You would need to get it treated by the local water authority. They'd probably go to the source and do their work there so it'd take long term. I think sometimes it takes multiple treatments if the water flows too freely but it shouldn't take more than a few weeks. It wouldn't do anything to your farm during that time, so we'd still bhave time to work on the irrigation system here. And then you'd have a better crop! Yay!" She ended on a more joyous note than usual, imagining Applejack with even better luck being the sort of mare to the world that Twilight saw everyday. Wouldn't that be the best possible outcome? Applejack deserved a few breaks here and there, dealing with the Everfree day in and day out and the issues that created for her nominally fertile soil. Could it happen? Of course it could. The plan was out there and all they needed was the paperwork and the sweat of a good day's work.

She hugged her mare tight with a wing as they walked slower towards the barn, warm and secure in the Princess' fold. No doubt this had proved a fun if somewhat useless expedition out to Sweet Apple Acres. She was no closer to learning the Earth Pony Way than she had been before, evem if she was now closer both figuratively and literally to her mare. That had made it worthwhile, but could she find anything else out? For the most part Applejack wasn't a philosopher, she was a plowmare. Twilight's studying of the day had seemed to take more of a tint focused on her mare and not on the differences between species. Applejack's aural displacement was not unusual or indicative of something unusual, unless you counted Twilight's displacement when in close proximity. It was a good time. Fruitless but good. She had to get something more out of this somehow, some way.

"So...Applejack, what next?" Twilight asked pointedly, her wing extra tightly wound on Applejack. Alone in the fields, alone together, she had little intention of allowing Applejack escape from her hold. She'd have to lead Twilight around but that was fine by the Princess- she could do with a bit of leash work. If Applejack didn't have much left for Twilight then her options were few. She wanted to just hang about some more but that was more of her night wanderlust encroaching on good behavior. She had so much to do that she didn't have time for some of her preferred fun with Applejack. Hopefully her mare had something on tap because Twilight was awful at goodbyes.

[Hippo]

Applejack gave into the hugs the princess gave her. They were warm and squishy, and now feathery, as a new feature since her coronation. There was little Applejack could really do to make ill of being convinced of water treatment. Applejack just needed a witty response to her, and then it came to her. "Well, alright. If you insist. You know I can't refuse to follow the orders of a princess." Applejack gave the hug back, playfully implying that she would use the princess status as a way to remove any doubt of decision-making. However, come harvest season next year, them apples better be good!

Twilight's affectionate hug was longer than usual, which gave Applejack a clue. Twilight felt she might have to leave soon, if there was nothing else she could study or talk about productively. So Applejack jogged her mind a bit to remember a lasting agenda point in which she might be able to at least entertain the princess on the farm. "Twilight, I just remembered, I have one more thing I'd like to show you." Without speaking into details yet, Applejack released the hug and started walking towards the Everfree Forest. At this end, the far western section of the farm, the forest tree line was very rural and wild, with no organization in the way the plants moved, and no signs of intelligent behavior could be detected in the grass. But there was one small path leading up to the forest fauna, the ground carved to dirt by pony hooves, and then the path stopped.

Applejack stepped up to the forest treeline and stood and faced the Princess. The forest acted normally at first, normal creepy and exotic for Everfree standards. But then a small something happened. Applejack as a centerpiece, vines from above and weeds from below and to the sides started stretching out towards the earth pony. These greens were harmless, as none of their extremities could reach far enough to even glance her stetson hat. She stood there for a few seconds like a plant magnet and then turned to Twilight. "I don't understand why, but when I stand here, these plants get all eager to touch me or somethin'. I figure it was just a natural defense of the forest, but when I walked out here with Rainbow a few weeks ago, I dared her to stand there and when she did, nothing happened. Granny told me she thinks the Everfree has a connection to the Apple family because of the few generations the family has spent being a part of its environment. What do you think? Would you like to try and stand here?"

​

[SteelEagle]

Yes, well, as everypony knew, Twilight was an authoratarian dictator whose edicts were law to a terrified populace of farmers and ignoramuses! Let all who know her rejoice in their daily peace, for woe betide any who failed to heed the monarch's words. The little farmer under her wings, tight and warm and close, did well to fall to her assault of common sense. Who could withstand the logic at play? Not even the stubborn farmer. Of course, maybe it was more due to her flirtatious, conniving ways sinking the ship of the valiant Applejack. She couldn't hope to fight against the curvy airship flying around. Because Twilight was a bad, so very bad, onebad mutha...okay, Twilight couldn't keep up that train of thought. Applejack's humor and Twilight's internal nonsense combined to produce a wide smile and a hearty chuckle, as she she gave her mare a warmer, closer hug before they separated.

"You're right. You really, really can't...because if you didn't, I'd hypnotize you into doing so!" Twilight joked, flashing her horn limply for show effect. No reason she couldn't play a little with Applejack. They rarely had time alone together and it hurt in a very deep way. Applejack was a very busy farmer and businesspony, who spent her mornings sweating and bleeding for her farm, her afternoons sweating and negotiating for the good of the farm, the evenings feeding her farm, and the nights harshly asleep due to the rigors of her day. Twilight's workload wasn't nearly as intense in terms of her physicalility but her decisions carried such weight and had to be negotiated down to such a fine point that by the end of the day her mind was flooded with either worry or the thrill of success. They rarely had time to be together anymore and it was a royal pain in the flank, no-self incrimination intended.

And then Applejack took Twilight down a path that married the Earth pony tended fields with the wilds of the Everfree, a clash of styles doomed to defeat in the long run but momentarily given to Equestrian victory. They reached the end and after a few minutes something very odd happened- the Everfreepants and vines moved towards Applejack as if trying to touch her. Twilight was jealous for a moment before she started being amazed by it. What could it mean!? On rare occassions some ponies had cutie maks that gave them dynamic control over the plant life they bonded with, but Applejack was not one of those. Nor had she seen Sweet Apple Acres react in such an overt manner. The Everfree was home to many movement-liberated species however. Thoughts and possibilities collided as Applejack offered her position, Twilight trotting in place to see what happened. As she did so, she talked.

"This is...remarkable! Sapient plant response like this is usually reserved for specialized cutie marks and for ponies with a high aural influx and dispersal rate in conjunction with the lax aetheral defense of a sub-ordinate plant in a few geni...Applejack, when did you first notice this?" She said, standing in the same position as Applejack had but a few moments earlier.

[Hippo]

Twilight began going into nerd lecture mode as her fascination with what Applejack was sharing with her increased. You could see the desire of learning boiling off the purple pelt of the princess, her mind radiating intelligence to whoever was nearby. She asked a question. "I reckon I don't remember the first time. I remember when we would go on adventurin' into the forest, I would occasionally see plants pull themselves towards me. I always figured it was just something the Everfree always did. I didn't realize I would be an exception. What about you?"

Applejack stepped back away from the spot she was standing and left the princess to stand there alone. "Are the plants still pulling towards you? Or have they stopped because I'm no longer close to them?"

​

[SteelEagle]

Applejack's revelation didn't help much in the present. While it was helpful to know that the Everfree had always behaved this way for her and that therefore it wasn't tied into her physical maturity or cutie mark. That meant that it was smething else entirely. She hadn't prepared the scene for extensive studying yet, but there were subtle aural machinations at work, too subtle for the sometimes obtuse hammer of overt magic deployment. The Everfree was certainly a strange beast in every meaning of the word but even it operated on some rules that were being broken now. She stood in the spot and did as Applejack did but couldn't cajole a single branch to reach out and touch her no matter what her desires stated. At least not yet, as any living organism needed time to adjust and any good research required patience. She nodded slowly to herself as she started mapping out the research parameters of their surroundings. Yes, yes, it could be done...

"Very interesting. So it isn't tied to your cutie mark, nor your physical maturity. That leaves a few possibilities but I lack information...and no, it appears as though they are inert," Twilight said with a sigh. It may not remain that way but for now the mysteries were beyond her. That meant more questions needed to be asked and more answers needed to be given. She looked around and then back at Applejack, a quizzical expression slapped on. "Does this happen to any other members of your family or you alone? Have you heard ay similar stories and if yes, from who?" Twilight asked pointedly as she pushed forward on her investigation. No doubt fueled by finally having something to question about Earth ponies, Twilight opened up her saddlebag once more and research aids came flying out. She attached the small swab to her horn once more and then the wet small sponge-like materials to both Applejack and Twilight. Science was about to take over. SCIENCE.

[Hippo]

Twilight didn't immediately attract any attention from the foliage. "See!? Why ain't it reachin' for you?" Applejack was confused and frustrated. It was like somepony was watching her from a far, trying to grab at her at any moment. Even for a pony who's physical prowess keep her out of most wild dangers, she could not admit that she was a little scared of the thought.

And then, Twilight's scientific mind started turning. Applejack could tell because Twilight's eyes started to shake. Her body started vibrating with the pulsings from her brain, and her voice would crack and speak faster. "What? No! I wouldn't even dare try to get Apple Bloom over here to experiment. I've saved her from the Everfree too many times already. And I haven't asked Big Mac yet, but Granny Smith wouldn't even come if I asked her to. She's too confidence that it's about the Apple family. To her, this case is closed."

Items started coming out of Twilight's bag and she started attaching more sponges to Applejack again. Applejack sighed. "Ugh, is this really necessary, Twilight?" Applejack raised a hind leg, looking back at her scientifically cover body, annoyed at the sensation a few sponges had on her pelt.

​

[SteelEagle]

It figured that the Apples would by and large have decreed it a dead matter if Granny Smith had said so. Her word carried the weight of a mountain with the family and if anypony would have had the inside scoop on what was happening and why, it would have been her. The fact she didn't even provide a theory meant to Twilight that this mystery was one that even folksy old school wisdom couldn't penetrate the veil of scientific and magical theory that formed the foundation of every good mystery in the Everfree. What could it be, then? If it was simply an Apple family thing then she would have heard something. Apple Bloom in particular would have been bragging about having some sort of power in the Everfree to her friends which would have started rumors which would have ended up in the school paper or gossip around town, at which point Rose or some other concerned citizen would have confronted Twilight about the possibility of Apple Bloom being dangerous. Considering that had not happened- well, Apple Bloom was dangerous but mostly in a normal filly type way- she could only guess that either Apple Bloom wasn't observant enough or there was something more.

"Yes. Yes it is," Twilight responded swiftly as she put her tools all over Applejack, and then levitated the mare into place as she trotted back to her old spot and sat down the full length of her body, her two front hooves criss-crossed as she stared at Applejack. It was a good image and she was happy to have her, and also happy to have her reveal something new. It was strange this had never come up before or been a boon to the group whenever they were forced into the Everfree on some adventure, but that was part of the fun, wasn't it? Solving a mystery was always more exciting when it was old, and if this truly was some sort of relationship fostered between the Apples and the Everfree, it was an old mystery that if solved could prove crucial to the relationship between ponies and the Everfree! Ahh, truly a special family in a special place and a special mare to conduct her experiments with.

"It could take a while, Applejack-" her horn started to glow as she started taking in all of the aetheral changes in Applejack's body as well as the aetheral flow around her and attached to the boundary of the Everfree, "-so get comfortable," she said with a smile. After all, Twilight got to sit down and relax while Applejack had to stand up.

"So, how is this year's harvest going so far?" Twilight started on a long-winded subject, letting Applejack know acutely just how long this could take.

[Hippo]

Applejack was trapped yet again by the magic of friendship Twilight possessed. It wasn't like the magic that came from her horn while experimenting with Applejack in the bedroom last Saturday. No, this was a more public magic. The one you couldn't see, because it bonded Applejack and Twilight in trust, even if Applejack wouldn't admit to its power. She stood there still. Wondering if moving at all would be a problem. And when Twilight asked her a casual question, she felt herself back in the spiritual office of Twilight Sparkle, the scientist, only Applejack wasn't reclining on a comfortable couch this time. Applejack would answer back in force of opinion. "The harvest is the fine! Look, Twilight, I don think any of yer fancy 'speriments are going to tell us anything about me we don't already know. And why would have somethin' to do with me? Why not test the Everfree? Couldn't just be something wrong with it? Celestia knows the forest has supernatural enough."

​

[SteelEagle]

Twilight's cunning ploy to get her mare distracted didn't work. It never had much of a chance really, not wth Applejack, not here and not in this way. But it was good to hear that the harvest was fine in any case. Twilight may not have been a farmer but she did look at the agriculture reports and this year a lot of the tentpoles of equestrian agriculture seemed to have a weaker than average yield. While it was nothing of great concern as they still produced far more than they needed on a larger societal scale, that wouldn't help soothe Twilight's worries for the Apple family if they were held under the unfortunate bondage of luck in such times. Good for all involved that such grim tidings did not come for the Apple family.

Of course, Applejack wouldn't be a fan of such tactics in any case. Twilight knew that and relished in it. Small pokes and prods of the emotional sort were all that was needed to keep any good relationship fresh with mischief and she loved the role of chief mischief maker. She sighed dramatically.

"Yes, it is. I need to be able to investigate rigorously your body and the aetheral inflections of the Everfree as it reaches to caress you. Now let me see..." Twilight said as he horn lit up just as the Everfree started to move towards Applejack. Twilight's aura slithered without visual aid until it started to envelop Applejack, seeping into her silently. Each point of contact between the materials, Twilight's aura, and Applejack's, gave her minute pieces of information as the deadzone of the Everfree had its own impact. Twilight blinked a few times, her eyes growing increasingly white with sheer power as she did so.

"...Int...erest...ing..."

[Hippo]

"Ugh." Applejack grunted as Twilight suggested that her test would be vital. And as she explained, Applejack couldn't help but put the context of Twilight's words in a different light. Maybe the forest was out for her, but maybe it wasn't going to be hostile. She smirked loudly as a small amount of exhale snuck its way through her straight teeth in the form of a squee, and then chuckled. "Maybe it just likes me. Maybe mah green hoof makes plants more gung ho than I realize." She said jokingly, although understanding that the possibility would be there with so many circumstances coming from Twilight's unpredicatble and annoying tests. But then, Twilight slowly verbally illustrated her intrigue. Applejack stood straight. "What is it?"

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[SteelEagle]

Twilight couldn't answer immediately. She was too deep into the ceaseless thicket of information. The Everfree was always a source of great mystery and power to Equestrians, and the more powerful you became the more mysterious it became. All manner of scientific methods once applied to the Everfree failed to give answers. No greater power controlled the patterns or movements of the forest. It defied Equestrian science. If she was a Saddle Arabian it would make more sense since most of their land acted the same in as much as little magical control could be exerted. Unyasi was the same. But those species did not have natural magical abilities tuned to their environment. Equestrians did. Having an odd landmass in the middle of their homeland struck Twilight odd and from the start of their research on it, it had been the subject of so many false starts. So many intelligence unicorns had been cast down in shame as their theories were disproven and just as many bold and arrogant pegasi found their weather skills mocked by the innate power of the Everfree.

So what if the mistake had been going with one of those species? They were so magical that perhaps the resistance in the Everfre was greater, more violent. Now, no doubt if Earth ponies had a natural ability to handle the Everfree it would have been understood. It wouldn't make sense to discover something new like that now. But that didn't mean that there wasn't something subtle that was being seen here. The way that the negative aetheral flow of the Everfree was straining to reach Applejack was intense. Applejack's own strong aura was easily holding its own, but it was the object of the Everfree's...affection? Or anger? Earth ponies seemed in no greater danger than most ponies nor were they any safer once in the Everfree. But it was different. Very different. The Everfree really wanted to investigate whatever adorable bundle of aetheral flow was just out of reach. Twilight's eyes dimmed and the sponges were pulled off of Applejack with little pops, the scientist allowing the patient the freedom one craved so dearly.

"That was very interesting. It wasn't just a physical reaction- magically, the Everfree was trying to reach out to you. Your green hoof joke might not be too far off. I'll need to conduct further tests though...see if I can get more data. Family, other earth ponies- see how auras react to the aetheral change. Heh, doubt it is the Earth Pony Way, but it is something!" Twilight ended on a positive note, nearly fluttering in place.

[Hippo]

Twilight was doing it again. She always had her moments when she would splurge on scientific analysis, the kind she obviously enjoyed. But at the end of a question, and several moments of Twilight connecting her thoughts into place, her findings would be exciting to say, but would be left with empty answers. From Applejack's perspective it never made sense to her to see a pony so excited about not know what they found. To her, that would be like harvesting crops in a field, and not knowing what kind of vegetable you had in your basket until you stored it in the kitchen. It should be obvious, shouldn't it? "So let me git this straight, Twilight. You just drew a bunch of numbers and science stuff from me and through studying the figures all you can say is you 'might' have something?" Applejack said honestly with a smile. "I gotta say, Twilight, it doesn't sound like you have anything. You are right about it not being the earth pony way. I don't know what the earth pony way is, but it certainly ain't nothin."

Applejack looked up and around. It was getting to be late evening, and the sky showed its first signs of browning. "Hey Twilight, ah think ah'm done for work for today. Should probably get back to the barn and setup for supper and a relaxin' evening. Would you like to come inside. If you're not still stuffed from earlier, we can snack until supper, too. Or do you have some princess stuff to attend to?"

Applejack started walking, weaving through the dozens of trees that separated the ponies from the red barn the orange mare called home. Once inside, she threw her bag of tools and things to the side and reclined in the couch in the living room. She exhaled and closed her eyes for a short moment. She thought about her day and mediated, even for a short time, on the events of today. When she opened them, she grew in thankfulness for her well-being, her family, and her friends. And for Twilight to be such a great friend too, Applejack valued it all the more to have her around.

​

[SteelEagle]

Applejack was a great mare for a great many reasons, but her defining trait had always been her blunt honesty that was equal parts brutal and often incorrect. Such was the case here. She had a habit of making her scientific efforts seemingly meaningless. That was simply because she was a straight forward mare, and that served both Applejack and Twilight well at times. But she was off base if she truly believed that there was nothing there, and Twilight knew for certain that was what she believed. Honest Applejack, after all. The only real debate was then how to explain it to Applejack without making her feel as though Twilight was slighting her. It would work best in a metaphor and then dropped, since she doubted Applejack desired to get into a long debate about the intricacies of seed manipulation and the timeline of plant growth that developed the strains that the Apple family used today.

"Hmmm...I know what the fruit tastes like, but I don't know how best to plant, nurture, and harvest it. I know what it does for me, but I don't know what exactly goes into making it. I know the results, but I don't know why it happens. This data will help form the basis that will help me learn how to plant my seed. Then once I get more data, I'll know how to nurture my seed. And once I get even more data, I'll know how to harvest it properly. To drop the metaphor, I know what Earth ponies can do and what they do for Equestria, but I don't know why or how they fill that niche. In order to harvest the power of the Earth pony magic, I must first learn how to nurture it. But before I can learn to nurture it, I must learn the basic building blocks of it- how it is planted, so to speak. So this data is incredibly important. I need a lot more, but this is actually a very good start. The scientific process needs data," she finished confidently, cutting herself off from a potential scientific lecture at the last fracture point. Nopony liked that Twi.

The sky started to turn an antagonistic shade of gray and brown, a sign that a storm was coming. She didn't need the darkening skies to tell her that as her pegasi powers told her so a little earlier. One reason she had been so keen on pushing ahead with her research was the understanding that soon it would have to end. What didn't have to end was their time together. She did have some relatively important maters to attend to but none of them were time sensitive and the lack of Spike running up to her and demanding her attention told her that today, if only today anyway, Equestria wasn't going to collapse without her. She could afford a nice dinner with her friend and if anypony had a problem with that, they could stuff a sock in it.

"I'd love to. I don't have anything pressing and the only thing better than Sweet Apple Acres pies from your shop are the same pies fresh! How could I possibly say no? Besides, with this alicorn hunger of mine I'm hungry all the time," She said with a smile, trotting alongside Applejack as the two made their way towards and finally into the humble abode of the Apple family.

The inside of the barn was as warm and friendly as the ponies that called it home, as the ponies who were responsible for the warmth because of their love shared it as easily with the home as those who visited. It was one of the biggest reasons why she loved coming over so often. There were bigger and more private reasons, but the family's care and love was amazing nonetheless. Applejack relaxed on a couch and Twilight curled her front hooves under her chest as she sat next to the fire, levitating out her diary and a quill dipped in strong ink earlier in the day. She always loved visiting the Apple farm and learning some new lessons. Tonight, she believd she would learn even more. Best to write down what she could remember as she could.

"What are you planning on having, Applejack?"

[Hippo]

Applejack loved Twilight. Having her in the house on a night like tonight where the weather outside began to turn sour, the sweetness inside seemed to stay the same. She was like another sister, just very purple, very horny, and very feathering, comparable to other ponies in this barn. Regardless, Twilight was arguably her best friend, but she would never admit to it, should that comment ever reach her other close friends.

She sat comfortably on the couch, watching Twilight write in her book. And as she watched she began to doze off slightly until Twilight asked her a question. "Oh, uh," Applejack shot up, giving herself a little shame of falling asleep during a conversation. "Um, actually. I'm perty satisfied. I think I'll be fine 'til breakfast." Applejack had a light supper. Her appetite in contrast to Twilight was alarming. For the first time, Twilight was able to out feast her. "In fact," Applejack yawned. "It's probably time for this little pony to get some shuteye." She stood up and began walking towards the stairs. "I'm glad you decided to spend the night over, Twi. With you being a magical princess and all, it's not like we get to do this as much as we used to."

Once Applejack reached her bedroom, she took her hat off and placed it on her favorite hook. She folded herself in the bed, and relaxed her whole body. She breathed deeply a couple times, exhaling her worries of the day and suspending them for tomorrow. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room, although it had help from the light coming through the door that was left cracked.

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